A new study reveals that a smartphone is the number one back to school gadget in the UK for those aged 15 and under.

A new survey conducted this summer by Tiger Mobiles reveals that school children’s needs are shifting towards technological devices that provide them with the latest in mobility, communication and convenience. 59% of parents said they planned to buy their child a mobile phone ahead of the new school year, compared to 22% looking to buy a tablet, and just 10% planning to purchase a laptop.

With mobile phones so high up on the must-have list and the children now back at school, it’s the ideal time to review your child’s mobile phone and begin to monitor their activity – if you aren’t already. Did you know that approximately one in five children in the UK have seen something on their mobile device that has upset them?

The biggest concern is cyber bullying on social networks – a recent report from Ditch The Label revealed that 7 in 10 young people are victims, with 54% having experienced negativity on Facebook. As a parent, it’s important to realise how vulnerable young children are when they are online. If you’re worried that you’re not doing enough to monitor your children’s smartphone usage, we recommend downloading WebWatcher and/or SpectorSoft.

Earlier this year, the National Literacy Trust conducted a survey and revealed that school children, particularly boys are using colloquial text speak in their work. Words such as ‘b4’ (before) and ‘gr8’ (great) are increasingly creeping into written work. In addition to affecting pupils’ written skills, the increasing use of colloquial ‘textisms’ have highlighted a dependence on spellcheckers.

That being said, mobile devices and portable technology are the future – and it’s important to recognise and accept this. Some schools operate a BYOD Day (Bring Your Own Device Day), where pupils can bring in their own devices to do their work on, so that they can take their trusty device home with them at the end of the day, rather than leaving unfinished work on a machine that stays in school.

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